Phil Davis may share the same name as a MMA star, but of late he’s more punching bag than fighter.
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Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins copped a contentious one-match ban for striking the GWS co-captain in the last quarter of the Cats' 10-point win on Saturday night after the big Cat clashed with Davis off the ball.
It’s not the first incident involving frustrating players getting into the Giants’ key defender – it’s the fourth in 11 rounds - and teammate Heath Shaw isn’t surprised.
“He’s a fullback, that’s what fullbacks do,” Shaw said ahead of the Sydney derby on Sunday.
“They’re just really, really annoying.
“You want to get on the nerves of your opposition.
“I go about it a different way. Phil tends to get right up in their grill, but that’s the way he goes about it.
“If they want to keep clipping him on the nose then so be it; he’s not that bad looking so a few scars wouldn’t hurt.”
Alongside Davis, Shaw is confident the Giants are up to the task of nullifying Buddy Franklin and Co. at Spotless Stadium.
“Our backline has our work cut out for us but we pick seven guys each week that we’re confident can go up against any forward line and match them if not beat them,” Shaw said.
“Obviously Sydney are a top four team and we know what we’re going to get from them week in, week out.
“They’re a quality opposition and the last few weeks for us have been a bit down but still competitive.
“We’ve got to rectify that if we’re going to beat them.
“Nobody wants to lose three in a row, so the stakes are huge for us to stay in touch with the top four.”
